February 16, 2016: At the Courthouse

I have not had much luck at our county courthouse.  I did get my brothers birth certificate, and my mothers, misspelled name and all.  Everything else I was looking for pre-dated the county records. 

Since I don’t have much to say about the courthouse, here is something I wrote 2 years ago about my dad.  It helps define the picture posted last week.  My dad was a funny guy.

THE NORTHERN GIRLS

No, it's not a line from a Beach Boys song. It was an advertising promotion from the 1950's, when many companies offered gifts, for a product wrapper and postage. The offerings included ashtrays, glassware, linens, spoons, prints and much more. My Mother, who collected spoons, was able to obtain the five Dionne Quintuplets in sterling silver, each spoon decorated with a toddler quint with their name on the handle. All for a Palmolive bar soap wrapper and a dime

The Northern toilet paper gimmick was the image of four little girls, you could choose the girl you wanted on your toilet paper package. My parents had four daughters, and my Dad said that the dark haired, blue eyed little girl looked just like me. He bought a set of the prints. The package stated, "each portrait on fine white vellum in 11" x 14" standard size suitable for framing." They were called Northern's famous American Beauty portraits. Dad was a great one for nick names, calling all six of his kids by strange and sometimes embarrassing names. He promptly began calling me Tissue. Sometimes he called me Toilet Paper, and sometimes it was Pot. This name followed me for the rest of my life! The only card I ever received from him that didn't greet me as Tissue was my wedding card.

The prints stayed in their mailing envelope for years. Eventually that was discarded. But the prints were kept, and after Dad died, I took them home, planning to frame and hang them. But I never got around to it. Then recently, at a garage sale I made a real find. Shoved in the back of a box on the ground, were four picture frames. I pulled them out to see what they were and found myself facing the four little Northern girls in pristine condition. Not tattered and bent like my set. There was also the original envelope that they came in, with a bold red circle proclaiming, "only 25 cents". Of course, I had to have them.

I plan to hang the prints in my bathroom. Like I have planned for years.... And beside them I will hang the Pear's Soap girl print that my sister bought me about 30 years ago. Witty Sussa Boom thought the dark haired, blue eyed girl looked like me... Ah Dad, your crazy kids still miss you.

Rana Joblinski Willit

11/17